Fantastic Four has been impressing fans since writer Ryan North took over the book, and One World Under Doom has seen the team lead the charge in the battle against Doctor Doom, who became the Sorcerer Supreme and used his powers to gain control of the Earth. Doom de-powered the Thing, leading to the eventual loss of the powers of the Fantastic Four. To solve the problem, they went through time and space to expose him to the cosmic radiation, but none from other universes worked. The Thing secretly changed the coordinates to Earth-616, and while he regained his powers momentarily, he also doomed the Fantastic Four, accidentally making it so they never got their powers. That is where the excellent Fantastic Four #32 picks up, as Valeria Richards, with her mind in the body of her counterpart on this Earth, Mary, tries to figure out a way to fix everything.
Of course, this being the eminently logical Valeria Richards, she wonders how this Earth survived so long without the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four were the first superheroes of what is sometimes referred to in-universe as the “Age of Marvels”, and they thwarted threats of all kinds from destroying the planet, from Negative Zone invasions to cosmic giants like Galactus. Valeria eventually finds out the truth — the Franklin Richards of this world gained the godlike powers and he worked with his powerless — but still intelligent — parents to save the world. However, Valeria learns the chilling truth behind the situation, one that will remind readers of one of The Twilight Zone‘s greatest episodes.
Franklin Gave Everyone a Good Life… Whether They Wanted It or Not
The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and that’s all there is to it. Series creator Rod Serling was able to find a way to tell chilling sci-fi/horror stories, despite the strictures of network television of the time. Serling and The Twilight Zone‘s other writers were known for adapting stories from the sci-fi serial novels of the day, creating televisual plays from the best ones. There are lots of episodes of The Twilight Zone that can vie for the title of greatest episode, but one that immediately springs to mind is “It’s a Good Life”, based on a short story of the same name by Jerome Bixby and written for the screen by Serling. The episode revolved around what seemed like the perfect town, but the reality was much scarier. The town was held under the omnipotent thumb of Anthony Freemont (Bill Mumy), a young boy with the powers of a god that made sure everyone in the town was “happy” and nothing ever changed into anything he didn’t want. It’s an amazing episode, named by Time and TV Guide as one of the best episodes ever. It has a rather deep pop cultural footprint, as well, and was remade in The Simpsons episode “Treehouse of Horror II” in 1991. Ryan North is obviously a fan of it, because he lifted the idea whole cloth for Fantastic Four #32.
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Valeria and Franklin were protected by their mother’s force fields as the last universe was ending, which made it possible for parts of them to survive into the new Earth. Valeria got all of her memories and intelligence. Franklin got all of the power. Reed and Sue realized their son was akin to a god, and even at a young age were able to use his powers to save the world. This taught Franklin a terrible lesson — that he could destroy any problem and make everyone happy, creating a world looked after by an omnipotent one-man police force. He eventually even transformed himself into the largest, most powerful being he had ever encountered, Galactus, in order to cow any enemies that came knocking. This is “It’s a Good Life” with a Fantastic Four twist, and it’s honestly one of the better new comics I’ve read lately.
This Issue Shows the Terrible Reality of What Franklin Richards Could Become
Franklin Richards’ powers put him in rarefied air among humans in the Marvel Universe. Franklin’s powers, a mix of the highest level psionic abilities and reality altering, have allowed him to help remake the Marvel Multiverse after the Incursions completely destroyed it. Franklin has always been a potential danger, but his upbringing by the Richards made sure that he learned from the best people imaginable. However, on this Earth, Franklin had a very different life. He was used as a weapon by his parents, and that made him into a monster.
Mixing the Fantastic Four and The Twilight Zone is a brilliant idea, and this issue shows how well the team and their characters can fit into type of sci-fi story. Valeria Richards is forced to come up with a plan, and is able to trick her omnipotent, mind-reading otherworldly brother. This is a Valeria and Franklin issue, one that shows just what they’re capable of.
Fantastic Four #32 is on sale now.
